OMAHA, Neb. – Creighton head coach Elmar Bolowich and his No. 6 Bluejay men’s soccer team hosted its third annual “Kicking with the Jays” free soccer clinic for children from the Omaha Housing Authority on Saturday at Morrison Stadium. Former CU head coach Bob Warming and his current Penn State squad were also on-hand to assist with the event.

This year the free soccer clinic continued to honor Warming’s daughter, Audrey. The foundation established in her name, “Audrey – Shoes for Kids,” provided brand new soccer cleats, shin guards, socks and shirts to every child participating in the clinic as well as dozens of soccer balls.

The shoes, shin guards, and socks were funded by “Audrey – Shoes for Kids” through private donations, including contributions from major shoe companies. Soccer Internationale donated the t-shirts and UnitedHealthcare provided the soccer balls.

After the Bluejays and volunteers from UnitedHealthcare helped distribute the donated items, the children broke in their new equipment on the field of Morrison Stadium for over an hour. The Creighton and Penn State student-athletes and staffs interacted with the kids on the field. Coach Bolowich, Coach Warming and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert each spoke to the children at the end of the event.

“I want to thank the Warming family, the “Audrey - Shoes for Kids” foundation, UnitedHealthcare, the Omaha Housing Authority, the mayor and both teams for making this a very special day,” said Bolowich. “I hope you enjoy playing the game, enjoy life, work hard and stay in school.”

Creighton and UnitedHealthcare co-sponsored “Kicking with the Jays” for the third consecutive year. More than 500 children have attended the event over the past three years, including many refugees from African countries such as Liberia and Sudan.